


Textual Relations

by castielrisingabove



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Misunderstanding, idiots to lovers, mechanic!Dean, teacher!Cas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 14:51:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18593509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/castielrisingabove/pseuds/castielrisingabove
Summary: When a drunk Sam Winchester asks for Castiel's phone number on behalf of his brother, Castiel finds himself falling for the mysterious Winchester brother. But complications arise when Cas meets a hot mechanic...





	Textual Relations

**[Winchester]**

**wait. u don’t know my name??? it’s been two weeks dude!**

Castiel ducked his head as he stared at the incoming text message. Truth be told, when his neighbor, Sam Winchester, showed up on Castiel’s doorstep (slightly buzzed, it should be noted) to ask for Castiel’s number on behalf of his brother, Castiel didn’t actually expect to be contacted. He definitely didn’t expect to hit it off so well with Sam’s mysterious older brother. But now they were two weeks in and Castiel knew his new friend only as “Winchester.”

Taking a sip of herbal tea, Castiel deliberated on how to respond to Winchester’s message. A joke, maybe? No. Castiel frowned, stirring another spoonful of honey into his mug as he avoided the inevitable. When he opened the phone again, however, Winchester was writing again. Heart pounding, Castiel waited until finally–

**[Winchester]**

**jk. i’ve been too embarrassed to ask what ur name was too.**

Ah, so they were on the same page. Castiel smiled into his mug, relieved, as he tapped out a response.

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ You don’t know MY name? Why don’t we meet in person to discuss the matter? _

Ugh, nope. Too forward. Delete.

[ _ Castiel _ ] 

_ You don’t know MY name? Sam told me you requested it! _

**[Winchester]**

**LOL. sammy and i got drunk and he told me he had a hot neighbor and i dared him to get me your phone number.**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Wait, what am I in your phone as then? _

**[Winchester]**

**...**

**[Winchester]**

**....**

**[Winchester]**

**......**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ You don’t have to tell me. _

**[Winchester]**

**Hot Neighbor.**

Hot Neighbor?  _ Hot Neighbor?  _ Castiel’s heart rate spiked. He’d been called attractive before, quite often, even, but he’d never really cared until now. Winchester thinking Castiel could be attractive? Well, that meant something. Admittedly, Castiel had no clue what Winchester looked like, but based on the off handed descriptions into Winchester’s character that Sam provided, Castiel didn’t care. Winchester was kind, careful and gentle, all while being a protective older brother. 

Still, it meant a lot that Winchester thought  _ Castiel _ was hot.

**[Winchester]**

**what am i in ur phone?**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Winchester. _

**[Winchester]**

**laaaaaaame. can’t i at least be Superior Winchester?**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Maybe after you take me out to dinner. _

Delete. Delete!  _ Delete! _

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ The verdict’s still out. _

**[Winchester]**

**r00d. thought we were friends.**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Fine. Hold on. _

Blushing, Castiel flipped through his contacts list, making the necessary amendments. He snapped a screenshot of the new contact name and sent it to Winchester. 

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Happy now? _

**[Superior Winchester]**

**almost. can i get ur real name?**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Only when I get yours. _

**[Superior Winchester]**

**first one to guess the others name buys them a drink?**

Butterflies fluttered in Castiel’s stomach. Was this a potential for a date? It sure sounded like it, but Castiel could never be sure. It was hard to read people. And the last thing he wanted to do was scare the funny, intriguing Winchester brother away. Castiel hesitated for a moment, then replied.

_ [Castiel] _

_ Deal. _

**[Superior Winchester]**

**:DDDD**

**[Superior Winchester]**

**i gtg to bed. see u tomorrow...Ken?**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

Not even close...Brandon?

**[Superior Winchester]**

**nope. damn.**

**[Superior Winchester]**

**i’ll figure out ur name soon tho.**

**[Superior Winchester]**

**good night hot neighbor.**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Good night _ ,  _ Superior Winchester. _

Smiling to himself, Castiel turned his phone off. Despite Winchester’s preponderance of grammatical errors, he had an easy going way about him that never failed to raise Castiel’s spirits. Ever since they had started texting, Castiel had wanted to meet him in person, but as the days stretched on, it seemed further and further out of reach. 

Even with the glimmer of hope, of name guessing, Castiel wasn’t sure it would end well. After all, who would possibly guess the name  _ Castiel _ ? Cas could ask Sam, of course, but it felt like cheating. Not to mention, Castiel couldn’t deny the gnawing fear that once they met in person, Winchester would want nothing to do with him.

 

**\- - - -**

 

All worries about Winchester stalled the next day, however, when Castiel’s car literally stalled on the way to work. After calling a tow truck and the school where he taught–Castiel wasn’t keen on showing up late to his third grade classroom but what else could he do–Cas muttered curses as he leaned against his 1978 Lincoln Continental. It had always been a hunk of junk, but it was  _ his  _ hunk of junk.

Traitor.

Castiel’s stream of curses continued, albeit silently, as he agreed to let the tow truck driver, a gruff but kindly man named Bobby Singer, to a garage. “I’ve got a good crew,” Bobby said as they drove, “They’ll take care of your car.”

What Bobby failed to say about his crew was that his mechanic, Dean, was basically Adonis incarnate. All cursing ceased instantly as Castiel caught sight of Dean’s chiseled jaw and sparkling green eyes. 

“Hey,” Dean said, his voice sending shivers down Castiel’s spine, “I’m gonna be the guy taking a look at your car.”

“Great.”

The silent curses resumed as Castiel bemoaned his pointedly  _ not _ smooth response. “I mean, it’s wonderful you’re offering to help fix my car.”

Dean quirked an eyebrow with a grin. “I mean, I don’t normally look at cars as ugly as your pimpmobile–”

“–my car isn’t ugly–” Castiel protested.

“But y’know, I’ll make an exception for a guy like you,” Dean said with a wink. 

Stunned, Castiel wondered how to respond. Was he being propositioned? Was Dean simply being polite? He stared, mouth agape, trying to formulate a proper response when Bobby called for Dean.

“Duty calls,” Dean said with a small salute, practically  _ swaggering _ out of the garage office. 

Oh, this was no good.

Castiel fidgeted with his phone while he waited, avoiding the temptation to text Winchester. The guy worked, same as Castiel, though he hadn’t been particularly forthcoming about the details. In general, Cas and Winchester’s conversations revolved around jokes, pop culture and strange would-you-rather discussions. So while Castiel knew Winchester had a sense of humor, loved John Wayne movies, and would prefer pie if he could only choose one dessert for the rest of his life, he didn’t know much about the specifics of Winchester’s life.

It was kinda hot, having that sort of mystery.

Now, of course, there was a slight flaw in Castiel’s plans in the form of one very attractive, very flirtatious mechanic. To avoid thinking about either man, Castiel turned to his usual coping mechanism: Candy Crush. A guilty habit, to be sure, but Castiel found that many of his usual hobbies, like researching ancient religious texts or watching nature documentaries, didn’t stop his mind from wandering.

“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” Dean said, interrupting Castiel’s colorful train of thought.

Cas grimaced. “Bad news?”

“It’s a wonder your car has been running as long as it has,” Dean replied, handing Castiel a clipboard. Although Castiel didn’t particularly understand what any of it meant, the amount of red ink certainly didn’t bode well. “Even if we fix what is directly responsible for your stalling, there’s a half dozen things just waiting to break down.”

“How can you possibly have good news after that?”

Dean grinned. “Lucky for you, I’m a damn good mechanic.”

Castiel smiled half-heartedly as he began to inwardly crunch the numbers. Public education didn’t pay well, even when he supplemented it with freelance work. The costs to buy a used car might very well be less than trying to salvage his baby. The thought stung. This was the car that got him out of his abusive household, that rattled through college, that seated his first gay kiss and shepherded him to his first teaching job. 

“For now,” Cas said finally, “I’ll just fix whatever’s most pressing.”

“You got it,” Dean said, but when Castiel finally drove his car out of the garage, he couldn’t help but notice that his windshield wipers worked much better than before.

 

**\- - - -**

 

**[Superior Winchester]**

**steve. would u rather fight a ghost or a zombie?**

Castiel grinned down at the text. Not only had his morning diversion been expensive, he’d gotten to school during his class’s lunch hour and a half day with a substitute had not been good for them. They were behind in his lesson plans and Castiel had to spend another hour getting them reigned in. Then, to add insult to injury, Castiel came home to find that he’d run out of leftovers.

Back to the college classic, “eggs and toast,” the delicacy just above ramen noodles. Castiel sprinkled the cheese on his eggs, which crackled over the stovetop, before responding.

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Not even close, Jensen. And...a zombie, I guess. It’s corporeal, at least. _

**[Superior Winchester]**

**nerd. u sound like my bro. and im definitely NOT a jensen lol.**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ What would YOU rather fight, Carl? _

**[Superior Winchester]**

**wrong again. and ghost. wanna get the chance to punch my old man.**

Oh. Sam had made allusions to his father before...very few of his references had been kind. Winchester’s response cemented it. Castiel understood it, at least somewhat. A distant father and controlling mother hadn’t exactly been an ideal childhood. 

Castiel took his time, cooking his eggs and shoving two slices of bread into the toaster, before responding.

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Must be a real assbutt then. _

**[Superior Winchester]**

**omfg what is that insult?**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ It was scathing! _

**[Superior Winchester]**

**mr. gramatically correct out here using ASSBUTT lmao**

Castiel grinned, setting down the phone to scoop his eggs off the pan. The toaster  _ dinged _ and he retrieved the slices of toast, nearly dropping one of them. Meal finished, Castiel settled at his small kitchen table, flipping open his laptop and starting a nature documentary on monarch butterflies. 

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ In the words of a man I know: r00d. _

**[Superior Winchester]**

**wow i’m a bad influence on u, ryan.**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Wrong again. _

**[Superior Winchester]**

**james?**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Unfortunately, no _ .

**[Superior Winchester]**

**what about a hint?**

**[Superior Winchester]**

**cmon i really wanna drink**

Castiel’s heart leapt in his chest. By now, dinner was long done and he was midway through a stack of math worksheets. A stack of worksheets he absolutely would ditch for a drink with the mysterious Winchester... _ no _ . He had to keep his head on straight. If Castiel was bad over text, he was far worse in person. His interactions with the attractive mechanic had proved as much.

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Wouldn’t that mean I’d be making it more likely that I’d be the one paying for drinks? _

**[Superior Winchester]**

**damn. ur totally right. what if we BOTH gave clues? first letter of our names?**

No amount of clues would make the name  _ Castiel _ a clear frontrunner, so he was safe, right? Besides, as scared as Castiel was of meeting Winchester in person, well...he was also curious. 

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Fine. You go first though. _

**[Superior Winchester]**

**D. u?**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ D...u...your parents didn’t happen to name you Dunce, did they? _

**[Superior Winchester]**

**very funny. u knew what i meant.**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Might have to change that contact info again… _

**[Superior Winchester]**

**u wouldn’t.**

Castiel smothered a laugh as he pulled open his contacts list for the second time that week. He hadn’t done this sort of flirting since...well...ever. But with Winchester, it was easy. Natural, even. After the changes were made, he snapped another screenshot before forwarding the picture to Winchester.

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Mine starts with C, by the way. _

No response. This was good for Castiel’s productivity, he flew through two rounds of worksheets, but not great for his self-esteem. It would be just Castiel’s luck that he managed to scare off the best guy in his life with a crappy joke. But as the night wore on and the temptation to respond with an apology grew, Winchester responded with a screenshot of his own:

_ [Cold Neighbor _ ]

**[Dunce Winchester]**

**two can play at that game charlie.**

Castiel laughed with relief.

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ No drinks for you tonight. _

Another photo, this time of a bottle of whiskey.

**[Dunce Winchester]**

**bummer. but also. not true on the drinks front.**

**[Dunce Winchester]**

**tho i wouldn’t say no to the company.**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Save me a glass? _

Nope! Nope. Delete. A late night whiskey with a near stranger? That was the recipe for a one night stand. And Cas didn’t want to have that. He kind of wanted more than that. Though, by Castiel’s plans that might take a while. To get to that point: more banter. 

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ If I win, we’re getting fruity cocktails. _

**[Dunce Winchester]**

**jokes on u i like drinking everything.**

Nice comeback. Castiel yawned. As much as he wanted to keep talking to Winchester, it was getting late, and he had 26 third graders to corral the next day. No amount of coffee could prepare him for that task.

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Talk to you tomorrow, Daniel. _

**[Dunce Winchester]**

**fail. talk to u tomorrow cecil.**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Wrong again. Sleep well. _

**[Dunce Winchester]**

**u too :)**

 

**\- - - -**

 

A week later, Castiel’s car broke down. In the pouring rain. 

The universe truly hated him.

When Bobby Singer arrived to once again tow Castiel’s car, he raised his eyebrows. “Back to see my nephew, huh?”

“Nephew?”

“Dean.”

Castiel shook his head quickly, rainwater dripping down his cheeks. He’d been planning to wear a rain jacket but nooo, instead he had to wake up to Winchester ranting about the latest  _ Game of Thrones _ episode and while Castiel knew nothing about the show, he did find the whole thing endearing. Still, for as much as they were bonding, Castiel was no closer to learning Winchester’s name. And Winchester  _ definitely  _ wasn’t close to figuring out Castiel’s. 

Now, because the universe couldn’t just stop with a broken car on a rainy day, Castiel was on his way to see the hot mechanic who, apparently, everyone in the garage seemed to know Castiel had the hots for. 

Cas was only human. Anyone would be into Dean. (Even if Castiel couldn’t help but feel a slight twinge of guilt at the thought of betraying Winchester for some random attractive guy at the garage.)

If it was possible, Dean was even hotter in person the second time around. His hair was tousled, a streak of grease on his bare forearm as he poked his head in the garage office. “Finally admitting you own a hunk of junk?” he asked with a grin.

“It’s just old!”

“My baby’s old. Your car just didn’t age well.”

Castiel cocked his head. “You’re a dad?”

“What? No!” Dean stared at Castiel for a moment before throwing back his head and laughing. “Baby’s the name of my ‘67 Impala. She’s a beauty. Doesn’t look a day over twenty.”

“Thanks to your handiwork, I presume?”

Dean beamed and Castiel found himself making a mental note to make him smile like that more often. “Been working on Baby since I was a teen.”

“I’d love to see it,” Castiel caught Dean’s eye, but to his disappointment, Dean looked away quickly.

“Anyway,” Dean said, clearing his throat, “If you want your pimpmobile to reach the same level, you’re gonna have to do a lot of work.”

Castiel’s shoulders fell. Maybe in his dreams he could figure out how to fix the car himself, or afford to have Dean make constant repairs, but in reality, well. He really should have given up the car years ago. “How much can I sell it for in this condition?” Castiel asked quietly.

Dean blinked. “What?”

“I’m a third grade teacher,” Cas laughed sadly, “Can’t exactly bring her back to her glory days with that salary.”

Silence fell in the tiny office. Dean looked around, probably mentally calculating the costs, before his eyes fell on Castiel. “I could, uh, fix her up for free.”

“ _ What? _ ” 

“I mean,” Dean seemed to be oddly interested in the hem of his shirt, “I’m single. Got a lotta free time on the weekends after I dumped my last boyfriend a while back and, y’know, old cars are kinda my thing.”

Boyfriend, huh? 

“I can’t let you do it for free!” Castiel protested. “We barely know each other.”

“Yeah, but I can’t bear the idea of a beloved classic car going to someone who won’t appreciate it,” Dean retorted, adding with a grin, “Even if it  _ is _ a pimpmobile.”

Huh. Hinting he was single, and gay,  _ and _ offering to fix Castiel’s car for free? Maybe the universe wasn’t half bad after all.

 

**\- - - -**

 

Over the following weeks, Castiel spent less and less time on his phone and more time in the garage with Dean. Castiel brought food (it was the least he could do) and Dean showed off his mechanical prowess.

That didn’t mean Castiel had forgotten about Winchester, they still bantered in the early mornings and late evenings, but more and more, Castiel’s sights were set on Dean. After all, Dean was, well,  _ real _ . Not that Sam’s brother wasn’t, but after two months, Castiel still didn’t know his name. 

When Dean finally presented Castiel’s newly refurbished pimpmobile, polished to perfection, Castiel couldn’t help it. In that moment, Castiel forgot about Winchester. “The least I could do is take you out on a date!” he blurted out.

The smile slid off Dean’s face. “Thanks, but...no thanks,” he said, huffing an awkward laugh, “Nothing against you.”

_ But you just said you’re single! _ Cas wanted to cry. Instead, he left. He didn’t even take the car.

 

**\- - - -**

 

**[Dunce Winchester]**

**charlemagne?**

It was a real testament to Castiel’s bad mood that not even Winchester’s joking could cheer him up. His exchange with Dean, though a full day in the past, couldn’t seem to stop replaying in Castiel’s mind. What was it he’d done wrong? They’d grown so close, Dean had even admitted he was gay...what was it about Castiel that was so awful he wouldn’t even go on a date? 

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ nope  _

**[Dunce Winchester]**

**chuck?**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ nope  _

**[Dunce Winchester]**

**chair?**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ nope  _

**[Dunce Winchester]**

**ok whats wrong**

Castiel blinked. He’d ordered pizza delivery and moped on his couch watching a documentary on dying polar bears. It seemed fitting for his swing and miss. One guy who was utterly uninterested in Castiel, another who Cas couldn’t seem to work up the courage to even ask his name. 

Still...one thing Winchester had going for him was the fact he still remained somewhat an enigma. Disembodied and unnamed. The perfect sounding board, maybe?

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ struck out on a romantic enquiry _

**[Dunce Winchester]**

**romantic?**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ I’d hoped so, anyway. Been trying to work up the courage to ask him out for a while. _

**[Dunce Winchester]**

**oh**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ yeah  _

**[Dunce Winchester]**

**i mean...i could take u out for drinks**

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ I haven’t guessed your name yet. _

**[Dunce Winchester]**

**we don’t have to do the name thing**

For a moment, Castiel’s heart raced. This was it, a perfect rebound. But as quickly as the butterflies arose in his stomach, they subsided. He couldn’t do that to Winchester. And besides, what if the same thing happened with Winchester that had happened with Dean? Castiel wasn’t sure he could take that much disappointment at once. He already had to face Dean again to pick up his car.

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Thanks, but no thanks. _

Winchester didn’t respond for hours, until.

**[Dunce Winchester]**

**ur not teh only one with a hot gyu in ur life**

**[Dunce Winchester]**

**turned a guy down fro u**

**[Dunce Winchester]**

**whtever imo ver u it fine**

**[Dunce Winchester]**

**got drinsk if u colnd’t tell**

Castiel stared at the text messages, a sinking pit in his stomach. Winchester had a guy he had an eye on too. Of course he did. And now, because of Castiel’s own stupidity, Winchester was almost certainly out having drinks with said mysterious man. Castiel groaned, flopping onto his pillow.

How was he this abysmal at love?

 

**\- - - -**

 

Still, despite the awkward position Castiel was in, it didn’t change the fact that he couldn’t keep relying on rides from his friends and coworkers. He needed to get his car back from the garage. The lack of response after Winchester’s drunk texts was what eventually propelled Castiel towards the garage. He couldn’t keep staring at his blank home screen any more. 

To Castiel’s relief, Dean wasn’t in the garage when he arrived. A brutal hangover, according to Bobby. It was for the better, really. The last thing Castiel wanted was one final uncomfortable chat with Dean. Unfortunately, while Bobby searched for the keys to Castiel’s Lincoln Continental, Dean burst through the door.

He looked like shit. Still dressed in clothes that looked like they were from the night before, bags under his eyes, hair in disarray. Castiel opened and closed his mouth, unsure what to say when Dean blurted out:

“I wanna go on a date with you!”

Castiel blinked. “You...do?”

Dean nodded. “I was an ass before, so I get it if you don’t but–”

“–I do!” Castiel practically shouted. He tugged his phone out of his pocket, fumbling to get the lock screen open. “Can I get your number?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” Dean replied giddily, taking the phone from Castiel to punch in his number. He stopped, pursing his lips. Looked up at Cas. Back down at the phone. 

“Holy. Shit.”

“What?”

“I’m already in your phone.”

“ _ What? _ ”

Dean turned the contact screen around to show the contact  _ Dunce Winchester _ . “Hot..neighbor?” Dean asked slowly.

“Winchester?”

The smile on Dean’s face spread. “The one and only.”

“Wait…” Castiel’s heart sped up, “So when you said you had a hot guy you turned down…”

Dean threw back his head and laughed, “Was I your romantic enquiry?”

“Yes!”

Dean laughed harder. “Dude, I turned you down for...well... _ you _ .”

"Oh my  _god_. We're both idiots."

 

**\- - - -**

 

**[Darling Winchester]**

**okay okay would u rather we use ur car or mine for our wedding getaway vehicle?**

[ _ Castiel] _

_ Dean Winchester, I swear to GOD if this is your way of proposing, I will murder you. _

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ Though if you wanted to propose in a DIFFERENT setting… _

[ _ Castiel _ ]

_ The answer would be yes. _


End file.
